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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. last — to go on
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. press — to push
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. hand — help
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pass — a permit
  12. last — final
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. march — the month
  16. club — a group
  17. press — newspapers
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bat — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. press — a publisher
  22. hand — in cards
  23. last — finally
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com